Jersey Finance has welcomed the signing of the Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with Belgium which took place in London on Thursday (March 13, 2014).

The new agreement brings the total number of tax agreements Jersey has now signed with EU Member States to 20, which includes both TIEAs and Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs). To date Jersey has signed a total of 43 such agreements globally.

The agreement was signed at the Hungarian Embassy by Jersey’s Minister for External Relations, Senator Sir Philip Bailhache, the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, Didier Reynders who also acts as Minister of Foreign Trade and European Affairs and Flemish Government Representative, Mr Geert De Proost.

Geoff Cook, CEO, Jersey Finance Limited, commented:

‘This is another positive development in Jersey’s relationship with the EU, further reinforcing the Island’s commitment to co-operation on the European and wider international stage. This particular agreement is also extremely timely as it follows on from the Secretary General of the OECD Angel Gurria’s recent positive endorsements of Jersey’s efforts in tackling tax evasion at a major European conference in Brussels last month.’